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Before someone makes a snide comment about UEFI, consider the current arm situation.

Actually I'm kinda curious. Alex do you know what the current Android "Recovery" options are designed around? Clockwork and TeamWin seem much more fully featured than a traditional BIOS, so I just assumed they were (U)EFI, but now im like "Okay... guess not"

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Actually I'm kinda curious. Alex do you know what the current Android "Recovery" options are designed around? Clockwork and TeamWin seem much more fully featured than a traditional BIOS, so I just assumed they were (U)EFI, but now im like "Okay... guess not"

"Android "Recovery" is just Linux kernel + Recovery binary, it isn't BIOS/EFI, you can't boot Linux kernel from it (only way use kexec/kexec-hardboot).

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Actually I'm kinda curious. Alex do you know what the current Android "Recovery" options are designed around? Clockwork and TeamWin seem much more fully featured than a traditional BIOS, so I just assumed they were (U)EFI, but now im like "Okay... guess not"

"Android "Recovery" is just Linux kernel + Recovery binary, it isn't BIOS/EFI, you can't boot Linux kernel from it (only way use kexec/kexec-hardboot).

The lack of a standard firmware and mechanism for device discovery is one of the reasons there aren't generic kernel images that will load on a variety arm systems.

I have an OLPC XO-1.75 on my desk which boots using Open Firmware. I understand that the Linux Device Tree is derived from the method that OFW uses to allow the operating system to enumerate devices.
So in other words, a 2000 page specification implemented to no other gain than doing what is already possible in a more complex way.

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Err, I guess a devel board from the SoC vendor? Then later a series of prototypes for the phone/tablet.

If you meant to ask about the bootloader, I think each vendor has their own. They do seem to have similarities though, so I wouldn't be surprised if they are derived from something originally written by Google and/or ARM.